Three Pieces for Five Timpani - 8 Min.; different stroke positions; advanced

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In the 1950’s timpani reached a new level with the composition Eight Pieces for Four Timpani by Elliott Carter. Carter’s work completely redefined what composers thought the timpani could do. He turned the timpani into a soloist instrument and his work has now become a standard for percussionists. Three Pieces for Five Timpani was composed to continue along the path that Carter paved and add to the repertoire for timpani.

Composed from 2010 – 2015, Three Pieces for Five Timpani, was written as part of a co-commission from 3 Arts Chicago and Roosevelt University. The commissioning project, titled “The New American Timpani,” included a book of solos, a percussion quartet and a timpani concerto.
Each solo was written with the same tempo but with a different style and feel. The solos embrace rock music, marches and classical styles. Although each solo has different tuning, they all share the home base of E-natural. In order to compose three distinct and interesting pieces with only five tones, each piece revolves around a rhythmic theme.

These solos are dedicated to my mentor and former teacher Ed Harrison. His encouragement in this project and knowledge of timpani were key to their success.